Hypoxia enhances [3H]noradrenaline release evoked by nicotinic receptor activation from the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y

We have used the human sympathetic neuronal line SH-SY5Y to investigate the effects of hypoxia on noradrenaline (NA) release evoked by either raised [K+]o (100 mM) or the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) agonist dimethylphenylpiperazinium iodide (DMPP). NA release was monitored by loading cells with [3H]NA and collecting effluent fractions from perfused cells kept in a sealed perifusion chamber. Cells were challenged twice with either stimulus and release was expressed as that evoked by the second challenge as a fraction of that evoked by the first. K+-evoked release was unaffected by hypoxia (PO2 approximately 30-38 mm Hg), but release evoked by DMPP was significantly increased. For both stimuli, replacement of Ca2+o with 1 mM EGTA abolished NA release. K+-evoked release was also dramatically reduced in the presence of 200 microM Cd2+ to block voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, but DMPP-evoked release was less affected. In hypoxia, DMPP-evoked Cd2+-resistant NA release was dramatically increased. Our findings indicate that hypoxia increases NA release evoked from SH-SY5Y cells in response to nAChR activation by increasing Ca2+ influx through the nAChR pore, or by activating an unidentified Cd2+-resistant Ca2+-influx pathway. As acetylcholine is the endogenous transmitter at sympathetic ganglia, these findings may have important implications for sympathetic activity under hypoxic conditions.     

Stimulus-responsive fluidic dispersions of rod shaped liquid crystal polymer colloids

Electrically responsive liquid crystal polymer nanorods were fabricated by template synthesis. Liquid crystal monomers are templated by alumina membranes. Molecular ordering of the liquid crystal molecules resulted from the confinement in the sub-micron channels and this ordering can be captured permanently through photo-polymerization. Template removal and sonication result in individual rods that can be reoriented by applied electrical and magnetic fields. Such anisotropic particles have significant potential applications in electro-rheological fluids and in active mixing in microfluidic channels.     

Rheology and sheet extrusion of Novatein thermoplastic protein/polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate blends

Novatein is a thermoplastic polymer made from blood meal proteins, but it has rheological properties very different from commodity thermoplastics. Capillary rheometry revealed an apparent time dependent shear viscosity for Novatein, evident from a decreasing pressure drop over time, measured at constant shear rate. However, blending with polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) reduced the time dependence for uncompatibilized blends and virtually eliminated time dependence for compatibilized blends containing 30 wt % PBAT. Novatein's extensional viscosity is three orders of magnitude more than its shear viscosity and explained the difficulty in sheet extrusion. In contrast, 30% compatibilized blends had an extensional viscosity similar to neat PBAT and was also the only blend that could be successfully sheet extruded. Although uncompatibilized blends at the same or lower PBAT content also had a lower extensional viscosity, they could not be sheet extruded and the difference was the 30% compatibilized blends had a fine PBAT phase structure (co-continuous in this case), which was sufficiently adhered to the Novatein phase. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47977.     

Binding and Enhanced Binding between Key Immunity Proteins TRAF6 and TIFA

Human tumor necrosis factor receptor associated factor (TRAF)-interacting protein, with a forkhead-associated domain (TIFA), is a key regulator of NF-κB activation. It also plays a key role in the activation of innate immunity in response to bacterial infection, through heptose 1,7-bisphosphate (HBP); a metabolite of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). However, the mechanism of TIFA function is largely unexplored, except for the suggestion of interaction with TRAF6. Herein, we provide evidence for direct binding, albeit weak, between TIFA and the TRAF domain of TRAF6, and it is shown that the binding is enhanced for a rationally designed double mutant, TIFA S174Q/M179D. Enhanced binding was also demonstrated for endogenous full-length TRAF6. Furthermore, the structures of the TRAF domain complexes with the consensus TRAF-binding peptides from the C terminus of wild-type and S174Q/M179D mutant TIFA, showing salt-bridge formation between residues 177–181 of TIFA and the binding pocket residues of the TRAF domain, were solved. Taken together, the results provide direct evidence and a structural basis for the TIFA–TRAF6 interaction, and show how this important biological function can be modulated.     

Eicosapentaenoic Acid,Arachidonic Acid and Eicosanoid Metabolism in Juvenile Barramundi Lates calcarifer

A two part experiment was conducted to assess the response of barramundi (Lates calcarifer; initial weight = 10.3 ± 0.03 g; mean ± S.D.) fed one of five diets with varying eicosapentaenoic acid (diets 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20 g/kg) or one of four diets with varying arachidonic acid (1, 6, 12, 18 g/kg) against a fish oil control diet. After 6 weeks of feeding, the addition of EPA or ARA did not impact on growth performance or feed utilisation. Analysis of the whole body fatty acids showed that these reflected those of the diets. The ARA retention demonstrated an inversely related curvilinear response to either EPA or ARA. The calculated marginal utilisation efficiencies of EPA and ARA were high (62.1 and 91.9 % respectively) and a dietary ARA requirement was defined (0.012 g/kg^0.796/day). The partial cDNA sequences of genes regulating eicosanoid biosynthesis were identified in barramundi tissues, namely cyclooxygenase 1 (Lc COX1a, Lc COX1b), cyclooxygenase 2 (Lc COX2) and lipoxygenase (Lc ALOX‐5). Both Lc COX2 and Lc ALOX‐5 expression in the liver tissue were elevated in response to increasing dietary ARA, meanwhile expression levels of Lc COX2 and the mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation gene carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (Lc CPT1a) were elevated in the kidney. A low level of EPA increased the expression of Lc COX1b in the liver. Consideration should be given to the EPA to ARA balance for juvenile barramundi in light of nutritionally inducible nature of the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase enzymes.     

Distinguishing the role of eating disturbance from depression in the sex role self-perceptions of anorexic and bulimic inpatients.

Previous research has linked specific sex role self-perceptions to two major eating disorders: anorexia nervosa and bulimia. To date, however, sex role self-perceptions and ideals unique to eating disturbance have not been distinguished from those related to depression and other concomitant psychopathology. The Bem Sex-Role Inventory was administered twice (self-ratings and ideal self-ratings) to 83 women: 37 eating disorder inpatients, 12 depressed inpatients, and 34 high school and college students. Results indicate that both patient groups scored significantly lower (p?p?     

Parent-child interactions during the initial weeks following brain injury in young children.

Objective: To understand how traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects parent-child interactions acutely following injury. Participants: Young children hospitalized for TBI (n = 80) and orthopedic injuries (OI; n = 113). Method: Raters coded videotaped interactions during free play and structured tasks for parental warmth/responsiveness and negativity and child warmth, behavior regulation, and cooperation. Raters also counted parental directives, critical/restricting statements, and scaffolds. Results: Parents of children with TBI exhibited less warm responsiveness and made more directive statements during a structured task than parents in the OI group. Children with TBI displayed less behavior regulation than children with OI. Parental warm responsiveness was more strongly related to child cooperativeness in the OI group than in the TBI group. Child behavior also mediated group differences in parental responsiveness and directiveness. TBI accounted for as much variance in parental behaviors as or more than did sociodemographic factors. Conclusion: TBI-related changes in child behavior may negatively influence parent-child interactions and disrupt the reciprocity between parent and child. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

'Flu' and structure-based drug design

The threat of a catastrophic outbreak of influenza is ever present. Vaccines are only partially effective and the two compounds, amantidine and rimantidine, used clinically against influenza A cause side-effects and rapid viral resistance. Recent advances bring hope that specific and potent drugs against influenza may soon be available in the clinic. These compounds were designed to inhibit influenza neuraminidase (NA), one of the viral coat glycoproteins, using the crystal structure of NA which was first published in 1983. In this review, the application of structure-based drug design approaches to the design of anti-influenza agents targeted at NA and haemagglutinin (HA), the other viral surface glycoprotein, is discussed.